Ræða Sigurðar Inga á morgunverðarfundi Amerísk-íslenska viðskiptaráðsins (AMIS) 17. september 2013

Ladies and gentlemen:

Good morning

I would like begin by expressing my appreciation for being invited to address your meeting. The title of the meeting states that it is about organic food production and the potential opportunities in this field in Iceland.  Allow me to tell you a very short “organic” story from the food-producing country, Iceland.

There once were three hunters sitting in the kitchen of a farming couple in Northern Iceland. One of them spoke highly of a delicious soup made of Larch Bolete mushrooms, served by the farmer's wife. The hunter asked: “Where do these mushrooms come from?” “From our garden” she responded and pointed at a few sturdy larch trees where the mushrooms could be seen growing. When the farmer's wife was asked further about the origin of the culinary delights they were being served, it turned out that everything on the table had been grown and prepared on the farm, namely the potatoes, the meat, the jam, the salad, and even the spices, which she had carefully grown in her pots on the veranda of the farmhouse.  She then added: “Actually, in Iceland in the fall we really do not have to buy any food at all, we just eat what is so easily available!” I am not sure whether the resourceful farmer's wife had such abundance of Larch Bolete mushrooms that would render it possible for her to serve a larger market than her immediate family, -   but she obviously had enough for them!

It is no secret that the current government sees vast opportunities in food production in Iceland and it regards agriculture as one of the most important industries of the future. The international demand for food is steadily growing -   year after year.  The conditions in Iceland are good; hence this position certainly entails attractive opportunities for us.  The government intends to utilize the situation and will examine how to increase value creation and how to best utilize the opportunities facing us in Iceland's agricultural areas. A special task group will be established to prepare proposals on how we may increase our food production. The group will go through the entire legal framework of agriculture, food production and land utilization. Proposals will then be formed on the necessary amendments as needed for realizing the set goals.  These are in brief the focal points of the government in the field of food production over the next few years. Of course, the government will not initiate production of any kind; as such initiatives do not fall under its umbrella. Instead, the market prevails in such matters. The government, however, will obviously not place hindrances for those wanting to engage in food production.

I have had discussions with several people in the food industry and it is clear that many of them have great ambitions in respect of food production – maybe even a bit too great.  It is my opinion that small steps in the right direction are more likely to yield the desired results as opposed to making large strides in all directions. In the first instance, we could always change course and start anew without having risked too much. Hence, engaging in collaboration with individual retailers is indeed a good idea. Building a strong market abroad may take a long time. Our ambition should be to ensure product availability for those wanting to buy from us.  This is how we earn trust and respect.  We must realize that we will never be a large actor in this field on the international market; however, we should always seek to do our utmost - in every respect.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Again, thank you.